Why Is Diesel Exhaust Fluid Tested?

Published 10 March 2015

Diesel exhaust fluid, otherwise known as DEF, is a liquid solution that helps protect you by breaking down nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are harmful chemicals alone. Diesel exhaust fluid uses agents to reduce those chemicals to simply water and nitrogen, nullifying any danger that they pose to you and our vehicle. But how exactly does this work? Diesel exhaust fluid uses selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to reduce the NOx (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) emissions, which come naturally with diesel engines. The chemicals in the diesel exhaust fluid soon become ammonia, which nullifies the NOx. From there, your vehicle is now safe. It does not only help you, but it helps the atmosphere too! If NOx were released unregulated into the air, it would serve no other purpose than a dangerous pollutant.

Diesel exhaust fluid, however, must be tested and regulated; if it is not up to code and precisely right, it can wreak havoc. One of the key elements of diesel exhaust fluid is urea, the crucial compound that works to eradicate the nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. When it becomes heated, the urea becomes ammonia. Amalgatech completes diesel exhaust fluid testing compliant with ISO22241, the standard formula of “AdBlue,” another name for DEF. This means that 67.5% of the solution is deionized water (the absence of ions and minerals stops them from interfering with other ions in your solution), and the remaining 32.5% of the solution is made of high-purity urea, otherwise known as AUS 32. This precise combination makes diesel exhaust the safest and most efficient to use. With diesel exhaust fluid testing, you can make sure that you are getting what you are paying for, and also make sure that there are no harmful compounds working their way around in your vehicle. Interestingly, urea is not only used for this purpose; it is a versatile chemical that is also used in fertilizer.

So why those precise numbers? What if the 32.5% of high-purity urea is actually 35%? Well, using so much urea assures that your solution will not freeze above twelve degrees Fahrenheit. Also, selective catalytic reduction is structured so that it will work best with a 32.5% of high-purity urea; any other percentage could cause the process to not function correctly. If you stick with the right numbers during the testing, then you should have no problems with your diesel exhaust fluid.

Amalgatech is a company that strictly follows the regulations set forth by the ISO, or the International Organization for Standardization. This means that all of the diesel exhaust fluid has been appropriately tested for precisely the right percentages of chemicals. To get the most out of your diesel exhaust fluid, and to make sure that it is safe to use, it needs to be properly tested, and Amalgatech is a company that can help you with that. It is not recommended that you do not make it yourself, as the percentages may be unintentionally altered; instead, seeking a professional company is the best choice.